How to shorten a URL

Shortening a URL takes a few seconds. The decisions around it take longer: what the slug should say, whether you need to track clicks, whether the link should expire, and whether it should sit on your own domain. This post walks through the steps and those decisions.

The short version

1. Paste the long URL into a shortener.
2. Choose the slug if the tool allows it (/launch reads better than /x7Qp2).
3. Copy the short link and test it once.
4. If you will measure the link, use a shortener that records clicks.
5. If the link represents your brand, put it on your own domain.

Step by step with the free tool

The free URL shortener works without an account:

1. Paste the destination. It must start with https://; the tool blocks dangerous schemes and private addresses.
2. Type a custom slug if you want one. If it is taken or reserved you will be asked for another.
3. Add a password or an expiry if the link is private or temporary. Both are optional.
4. Create the link. You get the short URL and a public stats page you can share alongside it.

Anonymous links get a default expiry shown on the result card. Claim the link into a free account to keep it, edit the destination later or see private analytics.

Choosing the slug

The slug is the only part of a short link a reader sees, so it does two jobs: it tells them where they are going, and it tells you, later, which link this was. Three habits that pay off:

• Say the destination, not the campaign code. /pricing-guide beats /pg-q4-v2. Put campaign codes in UTM parameters, not the slug.
• Keep it short and lowercase. Slugs are typed from print and read aloud on podcasts.
• Do not reuse slugs for different destinations. Make a new link and keep the old one pointing where it did, or you will break every place the old one was pasted.

If the link will be measured, add UTM tags to the destination before you shorten it. The UTM builder produces the tagged URL; the shortener hides the long string.

When to use your own domain

A short link on a shared domain is fine for a one-off share. For anything that carries your brand, a link on your own domain (go.yourcompany.com/launch) does three things a generic link cannot: readers can see who the link belongs to before they click, the link survives if you ever change shortener, and spam filters treat a known domain better than a shared one.

Setting one up means adding the domain in the shortener and creating a DNS record for it. The custom URL shortener page covers the setup on LinkPilot, where custom domains are part of the Pro plan; the free plan uses the shared short domain.

When a team is involved

Once several people make links, the questions change: who can edit a link, which links expire, and what happened to a link after it was sent. That is the difference between a shortener and a link shortener for teams. The link shortener with branded domains page explains roles, expiry rules and the audit log, and pricing lists what each plan includes.

When not to shorten

Two cases where a shortener is the wrong tool:

• The URL carries a secret. A password reset token, a document with the key in the query string, a private file link. Shortening does not protect it, and the short link can be guessed or logged just like the long one. Use a one-time secret link instead: it is read once and then destroyed.
• The reader needs to see the destination to trust it. In an email to someone who does not know you, a visible yourcompany.com URL earns more clicks than a shared short domain. Either use the full URL or a branded short link.

References

[1] LinkPilot. Free URL shortener (tool behaviour as of 19 October 2026). https://uselinkpilot.com/tools/url-shortener.

[2] LinkPilot. Pricing (plan limits as of 19 October 2026). https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing.